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Friday, September 13, 2019

The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCI) is beefing up their MG line-up with their first foray into the highly competitive sub-compact car segment. Launched at the Cebu Auto Show, the MG 5 features class-leading size and packs class-exclusive features at a price that tops below P 940,000.

About a month after its debut in Thailand, The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI), the exclusive distributor of Chevrolet vehicles in the Philippines brings in a new variant of its Colorado pickup truck: the Trail Boss.

About a week ago, Hyundai showed off its new i10—their smallest car that comes packing with tech normally found in larger, more expensive cars. Their engineers wasted no time in coming up with a hotted up version and naturally, it falls under Hyundai’s sporty N Line: meet the i10 N Line.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

PK Umashankar, or Uma as he prefers to be called, has his work cut out for him. Faced with softening sales at Ford Philippines, the new managing director isn’t not fazed. A mechanical engineer by education, and a customer service guy at heart, Uma won’t simply focus on chasing market share; instead, he’s looking to transform Ford into a customer-centric car company.

Remember BlackBerry? The smartphones with a crisp physical keyboard so good users were called “CrackBerry” at one point? The brand may have all but disappeared in the smartphone space, but they’re finding new life in Subarus.

The first 10 units of the rare Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition were received by their new owners during a simple ceremony held at the Mazda Premium Experience pavilion in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City last Sunday. The keys of the limited-edition MX-5s were personally handed over by Tom Matano, the legendary designer of the iconic first-generation Mazda MX-5 NA, and Susumu Niinai, General Manager of the ASEAN Business Office, Mazda Motor Corporation.

Hino Motors Philippines has recently unveiled its newest facility aimed at delivering unparalleled support to its customers. The new Technical Support and Training Center (TSTC) is a 15,900-square-meter land area with a 5,800-square-meter floor area two-story building fully equipped with a service workshop, a technical training workshop, a parts warehouse, seminar rooms, and corporate offices.

The world took notice when Hyundai unveiled the i30 N two years ago. But while it was designed and built to take on the world’s best hot hatches, there were still a few skeptics. Well, Hyundai just went a step further and created this, the i30 N Project C.

Limited to just 600 units worldwide (sadly, all are destined for Europe), the i30 N Project C pushes the limits even further. By dabbling in carbon fiber reinforced plastic and slapping 19-inch forged OZ racing wheels at each corner, this car sheds 50 kilograms.

More than just a diet, Hyundai engineers worked to recalibrate the i30 N’s suspension. It drops 6 mm closer to the ground while new internal calibrations for the existing dampers, shorter higher stiffness springs, and rear cargo zone stiffer complete the changes.

Outside, the i30 N Project C is finished in a dark matte gray with the carbon fiber parts finished with an exposed, high-gloss weave. Inside, it has Alcantara highlights as well as Deep Orange highlights.

Power remains the same as the standard i30 N and with that, it has a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine making 275 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 353 Nm of torque at 1,450 to 4,700 rpm (378 Nm on over boost at 1,750 to 4,200 rpm). The sole transmission is a 6-speed manual. Maximum speed is at 250 km/h, while its 0-100 km/h time stands at 6 seconds flat. This makes it 0.1 seconds faster than its regular i30 N counterpart and about 0.2 seconds faster than the Golf GTI. The Subaru WRX is still faster though at 5.2 seconds.

Examples from every generation of Mustang since the iconic sports car’s launch in 1964 converged on Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium setting a new world record for the largest number of Mustangs in a parade.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Let the grand standing begin. Top Gear Philippines ran a story where Rep. Frederick Siao is proposing mandatory dash cams to be installed in both private and public vehicles. While the aim itself is good, apparently, if you do a bit of digging, it’s not the only bill currently filed in the 18th Congress.

Say what you want BMW, but the Concept 4 is anything but “clear and precise.” Unless what you mean by clean and precise is cleanly and precisely ugly. Yes, ugly; like gut-wrenching, yo mama ugly joke ugly. It’s so ugly that BMW didn’t even provide one official single head-on shot.

Targeting young and budget-friendly consumers looking for tires with safety and performance that last, Michelin Philippines unveiled the Energy XM2+, a tire made for small and mid-sized passenger cars.

Foton Philippines’s Big AtTRUCKtion is happening at the Megatent Events Venue in Libis, Quezon City starting tomorrow. The two-day event (September 12-13) brings the latest Foton vehicles, big or small, along with limited time discounts and promotions.

Tired of being told that your car’s a glorified taxi? Well, worry no more. If your heart is still set on getting the country’s best-selling vehicle, the Vios, but want something with a bit more pep, then we suggest you take a look at this special edition Vios.

Hyundai is having one eye looking firmly at the past, while showing off a concept of the future: meet their 45, an electric vehicle concept that fuses the Korean carmaker’s heritage while also showing off their advancements in electrification and autonomous driving tech.

This month, there’s a battle of affordable oil change packages going on at your friendly casa. There are at least three brands offering discounted rates on oil change packages throughout September: Hyundai, Toyota, and Isuzu.

What you’re looking at is Volkswagen’s new logo. Created for the digital age and designed to be flexible for use in all mediums, it’s the iconic “VW” letters stacked on top of each other, reduced to their essential elements.

One word to describe the Volkwagen Santana would be “basic.” Before anyone objects or throws color into that statement, let me clarify that basic does not necessarily mean boring; at least, not in this case. Setting aside any comparisons to Volkswagen’s iconic models, i.e. the Beetle, Jetta, or Golf, the Santana was made for the practical driver—functionality first, stand-out looks second. In addition, the performance does not disappoint and can comfortably take you from point A to point B. After a whole week of bonding with the Santana, I believe this car should be on your list if you’re on the market for either your first car purchase or a secondary addition to your family’s garage.

UPDATE: Due to popular demand, we traced back our previous test drives and compared the Corolla Altis Hybrid using more realistic figures (i.e. our very own test drive fuel mileages). 9/11.

Targeting women and married couples, Toyota is clearly tugging more on the sensibilities of compact car buyers than the senses. Though improved in every conceivable aspect, buyers would likely flock to the Corolla Altis mainly thanks to Toyota’s reputation for making bullet-proof cars and of course, lower ownership costs.

Toyota Motor Philippines’s game-changing 2020 Corolla Altis has finally landed in the country. You can check its complete specs and prices here, and even how it compares to the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Subaru Impreza, and MG 6 here. With those bases covered, let’s discuss just who they’re targeting with the Corolla Altis. It’s now time for a lesson in marketing, folks.

Forget crossovers, SUVs, and pickups for a minute—there’s a compact car war brewing resulting in a wider, more competitive range of choices. Starting with the arrival of the refreshed Civic early this year, the battlefield is now joined by two other compact car stalwarts: the 2020 Mazda3 and 2020 Toyota Corolla Altis. All these tables are high-res, so feel free to download them (please, no cropping of the watermark though...we know who does this).

The day before its global reveal, the fourth-generation MX-5’s chief designer, Masashi Nakayama was nervous. While he was confident that his design will be well-received by the public, it had to pass muster with who could be his biggest critic: Tom “Tsutomu” Matano.

Nissan in the Philippines together with LICA Auto Group have officially started construction on Bacoor City’s first Nissan Dealership in Molino. Bacoor City Councilor Alde Pagulayan joined executives from Nissan Philippines, and Tetra Sales & Services Inc. for the dealership’s groundbreaking ceremony.

After sitting on a platform that dates back two decades, Toyota is finally moving its sub-compact cars to a brand-new platform. Dubbed the GA-B platform, it’s expected to underpin the next-generation western market Yaris first, and other vehicles like the Vios in the near future.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Less than a year after MG’s local distributorship was awarded to The Covenant Car Company, Inc., and following the launch of three innovative products, MG Philippines is launching its most significant offering yet: the MG 5 sub-compact sedan.